Optimisation of CO2 binding by reaction with alkaline residual materials through the ALCATRAP process

ALCATRAP

The overall objective of this project is to optimize the ALCATRAP (Alkaline Carbon TRAPing) process that allows for rapid removal of CO2 from flue gas through reaction with alkaline materials. This process sequesters CO2 either directly as calcite or indirectly as an alkalinity-containing solution that is ready for injection into a proper aquifer for mineral trapping. The project shall contribute to a technical solution to decrease CO2 emissions from power plants and therefore help the Federal Republic of Germany and the German industry to fulfil the requirements of the Kyoto protocol.In the first phase of this project we have established the scientific concepts of the ALCATRAP process trough a series of experiments performed with flue ashes. The dependence of CO2 removal on various process parameters and underlying geochemical processes were identified. In the second phase of the project we intend to test ALCATRAP in a pilot plant and to optimise the process in terms of the process parameters and the used materials. We have formed a consortium consisting of two university research institutes, the Department of Hydrology, University of Bayreuth (HYD) and the Department of Clay and Interface Mineralogy, RWTH Aachen (CIM), the plant constructor Rauschert Verfahr